Mastercard Foundation Arizona State University Scholars Program 2021 for young Africans (Fully Funded to Phoenix, Arizona USA)

 Do not miss this opportunity! Apply now

Application Deadline: 19 October 2020

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/33VaqYD

In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Arizona State University will provide graduate scholarships to train 25 Mastercard Foundation alumni at the Master’s level for various programs over the next 5 years (2021 - 2025). This scholarship program is situated within EdPlus, a central enterprise unit for ASU, focused on the design and scalable delivery of digital teaching and learning models to increase student success and reduce barriers to achievement in higher education.

This is a fully immersive and traditional on-campus 2-year Master’s program with a focus on training EdTech experts for Africa. While classes are in session, Scholars will work part-time with the Baobab team to gain hands-on experience implementing the strategic objectives of the Baobab Platform. The Baobab Platform consists of the implementation of an online learning community that serves over 8,000 users and is expanding to support 100,000 young Africans globally over the next five years. Between the first and second year, Scholars will be supported to participate in a 2-month Africa-based internship that aligns with their program of study.

Benefits

Costs incurred for visa application processing

Costs incurred for English language tests

Costs incurred for GRE or other equivalent exams

Airfare to and from Phoenix, Arizona

Full tuition, books and fees

Housing

Participation in Scholarship programming

African Union Youth Envoy Youth Silencing the Gun Award 2020 for young peacebuilders in Africa ( up to $5,000 grant)

 Do not miss this opportunity!

Application Deadline: 20 October 2020 

Click: https://bit.ly/2FWSvZJ

The Youth Silencing the Guns Award was created by the AU Office of the Youth Envoy to celebrate, recognize and support young Africans behind impactful peacebuilding initiatives that are building a culture of peace. A total of Six Awards will be issued six categories

The award seeks to:

Identify six young peacebuilders at the forefront of impactful Silencing the Guns initiatives.

Raise awareness of and celebrate their initiatives

Directly support their initiatives with grants of $ 2000 up to $ 5,000

Award Winners will receive:

Recognition for their work

$ 2000 up to $ 5,000 grant funding to support their existing peacebuilding projects

Featured at the African Union and partners platforms

Airlines push for coronavirus tests before international flights

Global airlines are calling for airport coronavirus tests for all departing international passengers to replace the quarantines they blame for exacerbating the travel slump.

Rapid and affordable antigen tests that look for pieces of the coronavirus in swab samples from people's noses and throats - and that can be administered by non-medical staff - are expected to become available in the “coming weeks” and should be rolled out under globally agreed standards, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said during an online media briefing.

“We don’t see any alternative solution that would be less challenging or more effective,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.

Airlines hammered by the coronavirus pandemic are pressing governments to embrace alternatives to blanket travel restrictions that are still hampering a traffic recovery - and that are now tightening again in Europe amid resurgent case numbers.

With rapid antigen tests becoming available for as little as $ 7 each, by Juniac said, airlines will push for their use to be endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations agency that oversees global aviation rules.

IATA believes production could be quickly increased to millions per day and the tests phased in between late October and the end of the year, “helping to save a part of the winter season”, by Juniac told Reuters television.

A global agreement is needed to ensure predeparture test results are uniformly accepted by the destination country, he said, adding, “It will also boost passenger confidence that everybody on the aircraft has been tested.”

Evolving position

The airlines ’position has evolved alongside testing technology. IATA argued a month ago for new rules to recognize laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests - which also look for virus fragments - conducted 48 hours before departure.

Last-minute airport screening is more effective because it “seals off the system” against forged certificates or infections contracted just before travel, by Juniac said on Tuesday.

Antigen tests are faster but less sensitive and therefore slightly more likely to miss positive cases than the PCR alternatives, although the accuracy gap has narrowed.

Among companies marketing the new tests, German diagnostics specialist Qiagen said earlier this month that it planned to launch a COVID-19 antigen test that provided results in 15 minutes and could be deployed in airports or stadiums.

Vietnam Police Seize More Than 320,000 Used Condoms

 Footage showed dozens of bags that together weighed 360kg (794lbs) in a warehouse that was recently raided in the southern Binh Duong province.

 A woman, who was believed to be the owner of the warehouse, was arrested.

The condoms were reportedly washed, reshaped with wooden dildos and then repackaged before being resold. 

The arrested woman said she was paid $0.17 (£0.13) per kilogram for the condoms, according to Vietnam’s state broadcaster VTV. 

It is unclear how many such condoms have already been resold on the market.

Covid-19: 112 new infections and 30 recoveries reported

  At least 112 new positive cases of covid-19 have been detected in Angola in the last 24 hours, as well as three deaths and 30 recoveries.

SECRETARY OF STATE FRANCO MUFINDA,

Angolan, Libyan diplomats discuss elections in African Union

 Addis Ababa - Angolan permanent representative to the African Union Francisco da Cruz and his Libyan counterpart Guma Amer discussed Wednesday the issues related to the election of senior leaders in the African Union Commission (AUC), set between January and February 2021.

ANGOLAN AMBASSADOR TO ETHIOPIA ( R) FRANCISCO DA CRUZ POSES WITH LIBYAN COUNTERPART

Angola's state secondary schools authorised to charge fees

 State-owned second cycle schools in Angola have been authorised to charge fees and emoluments in order to ensure the self-sustainability of these education institutions.

The information is expressed in Presidential Order 129/20, stating that the amount is still to defined.

The new measure is justified by the fact that the "school revenues are part of an important alternative financing portion for public secondary education institutions", stressed these legal intrument.

The Government believes that the collection of fees and emoluments will increase the financial resources, necessary for the functioning of the schools in this teaching subsystem.

The Presidential Order states the collection must be secured by the Ministries of Education and Finance, but the source did not reveal when the services would start being implemented.

It is up to the two Ministerial Departments (Education and Finance) to approving and defining these values.

A source close to Education Ministry, requiring anonymity, told Angop that proposals are being analysed with the Ministry of Finance to determine the values ??of fees and emoluments to be charged, in exchange for the services provided by secondary education institutions.

In September of 2019, the Angolan authorities decided to suspend the collection of  fees in public educational institutions in Angola, due to the "non-existence" of a legal diploma for that purpose.